Uromi JDPCI Calls for review of Edo trafficking laws to accommodate LGAs

Group photograph of participants at a one-day social dialogue forum organized by Uromi JDPCI for Journalists in Benin City.

By Editor

March 26, 2023

A nongovernmental organization under the aegis of Uromi Justice Development Peace and Caritas Initiatives (UROMI JDPCI) has called for the legislative review of the Edo State  Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Law 2018. 

The Executive Director of the group, Reverend Father Fidelis Arhedo made the call at a Social Dialogue Forum with Journalists in Benin City. 

Arhedo said the social dialogue forum was on Localizing Trafficking in Person Response in Edo State by localizing TIP response (LOTIP-R) cluster anchored by Uromi JDPCI. 

He added that the project is  funded by the States Agency for International Development (USAID) under its Strengthening Civil Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) Project and implemented in Nigeria by Palladium. 

The Reverend Father said the law should be reviewed to make provision for the activation of Local Government Area Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Response units. 

He opined that the Edo State  Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Law 2018 in section 5.1 makes copious provision for establishing a focal agency within the state to oversee the implementation of the law. 

The Uromi JDPCI, however, noted that since the enactment of the law, the office of the taskforce and its major activities revolves mostly in the state capital, Benin City. 

He said the taskforce has no significant presence at the senatorial or local government level where most of the recruitment  by human traffickers is conducted. 

He also posited that the law did not make provision for the creation of local taskforce against  human trafficking. 

According to him, it is imperative to have institutionalized structures at the LGAs to aid effective response to human trafficking to have a preventive rather than a reactionary approach to the prevention of human trafficking in Edo State. 

"This network structure aimed at creating an approach that would help to strengthen prevention efforts by creating easy referral pathways that will improve effective response to human trafficking issues as well as support in the reintegration of victims of human trafficking",he said. 

Arhedo opined that if gaps identified on the laws are addressed it will help to improve local ownership, coordination, and sustainability of anti-human trafficking intervention in the state. 

"It will also enhance the availability, collation, and analysis of data on human trafficking for informed and strategic", he added. 

The Uromi JDPCI executive director also called for the  activation of Victims of Trafficking Trust Fund (VTTF), increasing funding for the taskforce and increase budgetary allocation  for the implementation of the Edo State TIP law. 

He noted that the overall objective of Uromi JDPCI was to activate and institutionalized trafficking in-person response at the LGAs of the state by 2024 using three LGAs, one from each of the three senatorial districts.